Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis

The Sandhill Crane is a tall bird with gray feathers and a red cap on its head. It loves to dance and make loud calls with its friends. These cranes fly in a V-shape when migrating long distances.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Sandhill Crane is a large, gray bird with long dark legs and a remarkably long neck. Its most striking feature is a distinctive bright red patch of bare skin on its forehead, setting it apart from other tall wading birds.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderGruiformesFamilyGruidaeGenusGrus

Sandhill Crane

Interesting facts

A group of Sandhill Cranes is sometimes called a 'herd' or even a 'dance'!

Baby cranes are called 'colts' and often stay with their parents for almost a full year.

Sandhill Cranes are one of the oldest known bird species, with fossils over 2.5 million years old!

Their strong, pointed bills are perfect tools for digging up tasty roots and small critters.

Special abilities

Sandhill Cranes have a super long windpipe that coils into their chest, helping them make incredibly loud, trumpeting calls.

Sandhill Cranes can 'paint' their feathers with mud and plant matter, camouflaging themselves to blend in better.

Sandhill Cranes can fly thousands of kilometers, traveling between breeding and wintering grounds with incredible endurance.

Measurements & details

Length: 90-120 cm
Wingspan: 160-210 cm
Weight: 3-6.5 kg
Lifespan: 20-25 years
Top Speed: 70 km/h
Clutch Size: 1-3
Incubation: 29-32 days
Migration Distance: 8000 km

Diet & Feeding

These tall birds eat a wide variety of plants and small animals they find by foraging.

Primary Foods

Grains
Seeds
Insects
Berries
Frogs
Roots

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Coyote

Canis latrans

Coyotes sometimes prey on crane eggs and young colts.

eaten by

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Golden Eagles can predate on young or injured Sandhill Cranes.

eats

Corn

Zea mays

Cranes often forage for waste corn after harvests in fields.

eats

Common Spikerush

Eleocharis palustris

Cranes consume tubers and roots of wetland plants.

Traits

Wildlife

Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Omnivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.

Ancient Lineage

This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years.

Longevous

This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.